Finding the property type to suit you

The Tilleys chose to build the same design they saw on display, a three-bedroom family home.Graham Jepson

NEW BUILD VS

READY BUILT HOMES

THE residents at Ecco Ripley offered up their opinions on the fabulous living options available to help you decide which home style is best suited to your lifestyle.

SEKISUI House has introduced an array of living choices to the $500million Ecco Ripley community in the western growth corridor.

This is proving popular with buyers, as Ecco Ripley offers everyone from young families, couples and singles the opportunity to buy or build a new home of their choice.

NEW BUILD OR CONTRACT HOME

A Contract Home can offer more choice and less compromise. Choices include the size, number and style of rooms, as well as the colours and finishes of walls, doors, floors, cabinets and appliances - even the placement of interior lights, switches and TV points. The best part is you don't have to change a thing when you move in.

First home buyers can also access the Queensland Government First Home Owner's Grant when buying or building a new home - an option that currently isn't available on established houses.

When purchasing a block of land at Ecco Ripley, home owners can choose their own builder, whether that be Sekisui House or a builder of their choice.

First home owners Zoe and Daniel Tilley said the appeal of building their first home with warranty, no nasty surprises and the option of being able to create a home designed to suit their lifestyle won them over.

"After visiting numerous local developments in the Ripley Valley, we fell in love with Ecco Ripley and secured a lot in stage four only hours after we walked through the Sekisui House display home,” Mrs Tilley said.

The Tilley's chose to build the same design they saw on display, The Ebony, a three-bedroom family home.

"We enjoyed the kitchen design and the amount of storage it had for a small space.

"We also liked that the living and dining areas are open-plan yet remain somewhat separate,” she said.

"The overall design has utilised a smaller space quite well. We love the large windows in the dining and living areas, and the amount of natural light that comes into our home.

"We veered from purchasing an already established house as we wanted to make our house into a home.”

After moving in mid-March this year, the Tilley's and their two children, Ava and Jasper, are enjoying the family-friendly estate and the many benefits that come with owning their first home.

"We knew the next step in our lives was to have our own family home. It's a great feeling to be free from regular real estate inspections and the restricted ability you have when renting,” Mrs Tilley said.

"From our first interaction in the sales office, through to the customer service officer handling our build, the whole team at Sekisui House was upfront, honest and showed genuine interest in our family and really personalised our home building journey.

"We felt confident that this team would take care of us every step of the way. Sekisui House were always available to take our calls and responded promptly to all correspondence with constant updates and advice.

"Ecco Ripley is a great family community with nice parks for the kids, perfectly positioned in the middle, not too close but not too far from all amenities.”

"I decided to build a new home to experience first-hand the ins and outs from prep through to the initial finish,” Mr Buchanan said.

"I was able to choose all my own colours and put my own style into it - the key features were the living areas, one at the front and the alfresco area at the back.

"What won a lot of my friends over was the size of the oven and the kitchen, the open space, my location, and the view. When my friends first saw my house they were speechless.”

Mr Buchanan said his decision to build with Sekisui House stemmed from wanting consistency from the developer through to the builder.

"I knew I would receive ongoing service from the purchase of land right through to handover of the finished product,” he said. "If I had any questions or concerns, Sekisui House answered them on the day - they kept me involved throughout the entire process, keeping me up-to-date with regular emails and site inspections.

"As a first home builder, Sekisui House advised me what to look for whilst incorporating everything I have ever wished for in a home.”

Mr Buchanan's handover was particularly special.

"The handover was a week before Christmas and it really was the perfect end to the year. "It's an experience you cannot describe - it's surreal,” he said.

READY BUILT HOME:

DESIGNED and built by Sekisui House, the Fit&Finished portfolio at Ecco Ripley provides diverse and competitively priced turn-key housing to suit a range of buyers.

The pre-planned homes are either under construction or already completed and ready to move into and come complete with everything from the landscaping to the light fittings and window coverings.

A lot of thought has gone into combining the perfect allotment with an ideal home design, as well as selecting a range of designer inclusions and colour schemes to create a home that people can simply and quickly move into with nothing more to do.

As opposed to engaging a builder, the design process and selections have already been completed and so too council approval, making the move into a new home faster and simpler.

Purchasing a Fit&Finished home also means avoiding complex lending structures and progress payments as the majority of these homes are sold and settled upon completion under a single contract.

Animal emergency surgery nurse Janelle Davies and computer technician Steve Davies recently purchased a Fit&Finished home within the Ecco Ripley community after renting in and around Ipswich since 2010.

"Steve and I were looking for somewhere that would be a convenient commute to and from work in the Lockyer Valley,” Mrs Davies said.

"We were fortunate enough to be living with a family member whilst we saved for our deposit.

"A Fit&Finished home was perfect for us as we didn't want to overstay our welcome by waiting for up to nine months for our home to be built.

"We wanted to take advantage of the First Home Owner's Grant, so a newly-built Fit&Finished home was a perfect fit for our circumstances.”

Mrs Davies said the Ebony home design appealed as a great first home where the couple could eventually start a family.

As a newly-built home it was also low maintenance.

"We are both really happy with the inclusions that came with the home. The landscaping, driveway and fences were already complete which diminished any additional expenses,” she said.

"Having a complete fence was particularly important for our dog Yoda, as he was then able to move in straight away also.

"I love the open kitchen and living area and the gas stove. At the end of the week it's nice to drive to your own home and have your own space.”

The Davies were initially attracted to the idea of a community with a focus on green space.

The couple was happy with the standard of houses going up in the estate and impressed by the future development plans for the region including the proposed transport centre, schools and the $1.5 billion Ripley Town Centre.

Moving to Australia from New Zealand, Shaju Verghese was looking for a house that he, his wife Betzy and three young children could move into right away.

Mr Verghese purchased a four-bedroom Fit&Finished home at Ecco Ripley in February this year.

"We really wanted to buy a new house in a new estate and that's what we've found here at Ecco Ripley,” said Mr Verghese.

"We love the concept of modern living, and what we like about Ecco Ripley is that it's new but we are not living in a concrete jungle.

"The entire process with Sekisui House has been very smooth from the beginning.

"We were shown numerous house designs and loved what we saw.

"All of our questions were answered - and trust me there was a lot as we were relocating from overseas.

"Sekisui House have really gone out of their way to help us; everyone was very friendly and made my family feel very welcome.

"We felt like we were dealing with good friends - it made it an easy decision for us to purchase.”

The Fit&Finished home designs are great for singles, couples and families looking to relocate straight away.

For further information contact 1800 RIPLEY or visit www.eccoripley.com.au.